Collapsible tote box

ABSTRACT

A collapsible tote box having a pallet, a pair of interchangeable sidewalls, and a pair of interchangeable end walls interconnecting and locking the sidewalls and pallet, whereby the tote box is adapted to be assembled and dismantled without the need of additional parts or tools.

United States Patent Heft Mar. 14, 1972 [54] COLLAPSIBLE TOTE BOX 2,639,112 5/1953 Cushman ..l08/56 2,815,880 12/1957 Blatz [721 Invent 2,s23,a21 2/1953 Frater ..220/4 R :Hftl.'t fBt drf, [73] A ssgnee e y 6 FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLlCATlONS [22] Med: 1970 1,439,146 4/1966 France ..l08/58 [21] Appl. No.: 66,205 674,443 11/1964 Italy ..220/4 R Primary Examiner-George E. Lowrance [52] US. CL ..220/4 R, 108/58 A" d & St 511 ....B65d 7/24, 1365d 19/06 mm [58] Field of Search ..220/4 R, 6; 108/56, 58; [57] ABSTRACT A collapsible tote box havmg a pallet, a pair of interchangea- 56] References Cited ble sidewalls, and a pair of interchangeable end walls interconnecting and locking the sidewalls and pallet, whereby the tote UNITED STATES PATENTS box is adapted to be assembled and dismantled without the need of additional parts or tools. 1,424,723 8/1922 Hartley ..220/4 R 1,543,268 6/1925 Thieme ..220/6 5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures COLLAPSIBLE TOTE BOX BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to containers, and more particularly to tote boxes for shipping purposes adapted to be dismantled for return shipment and storage.

Tote boxes are commonly employed in industry and are used primarily to ship and store component parts to obviate special packaging of the parts prior to assembling them in a finished product.

Many of the tote boxes presently in general use are of a fixed wood or metal construction provided either with skids to accommodate a fork lift or adapted to be supported upon a conventional pallet. Since the boxes are of a fixed or uniconstruction, damage to a portion thereof results in damage to the whole box. Likewise, the fact that the boxes cannot be collapsed results in a great waste of space when the boxes are returned to their origin by truck or rail, and when they are stored awaiting filling. Likewise, stacking of both the full and empty boxes is difficult and the boxes are prone to tipping over when unevenly stacked.

Therefore, it is believed that the preferred tote box should possess: (l) the ability to be collapsed to conserve space in shipping or storing the empty boxes, (2) interchangeable parts to facilitate ease of repair, (3) easy and safe stacking ability, (4) the ability to be assembled and dismantled without either the need for tools or additional parts which may be easily misplaced, (5) the ability to be loaded on a fork lift from either side or end, and (6) strength and durability.

One collapsible tote box is known having a pallet, a pair of side panels, and a pair of end panels interconnected by connecting pins inserted through eyes provided at the four corners of the box.

The problems inherent in the known box is the need for a connecting pin to assemble the box, its ability to receive a fork lift only at its ends, and the need to turn the boxes 90 relative to the next lower box when stacking.

The tote box of this invention is designed to overcome all of the foregoing problems presently encountered in the tote box art, while incorporating all of the qualities believed preferred in tote box construction and use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A collapsible tote box having a pallet including a platform and a pair of oppositely disposed skids adapted to support the platform above a fixed surface, the ends of the pallet having slots formed between the skids and the platform; a pair of end walls having an inwardly extending bottom flange adapted for insertion into the slots below the platform and having rolled vertical edges; and a pair of side walls interconnecting the end walls and having rolled vertical edges adapted to fit within the rolled edges of the end walls, and having inwardly extending bottom flanges adapted to engage the top of the platform in assembled position. The skids may be further provided with apertures formed normal to the axis thereof to receive a fork lift from either side, and a supporting wedge formed in the lower outside comer thereof for supporting and locking the box in stacked position.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved collapsible tote box.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved collapsible tote having interchangeable side walls and interchangeable end walls to minimize replacement costs and repair time.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a tote box having side walls and end walls capable of being interconnected without the need for connecting pins, whereby the boxes may be collapsed and stored without fear of losing any parts thereto.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a collapsible tote box capable of being assembled and dismantled without the need for tools.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a collapsible tote box capable of being lifted from either end or side by a fork lift to facilitate handling, storage or shipment thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a strong and durable tote box that is capable of being stacked in a locked position to prevent tipping and sliding thereof.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a tote box having a base capable of independent use as a pallet.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a collapsible tote box that is simple to assemble and dismantle, economical to manufacture and rugged in construction.

These objects and other features and advantages of the tote box of this invention will become readily apparent upon referring to the following description, when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the collapsible tote box of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing certain portions in broken lines for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view as taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary end view showing the stacking relationship of the boxes; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a comer of the box.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, the collapsible tote box of this invention is indicated generally by the numeral 10. The tote box 10 generally includes a base or pallet 11, a pair of end walls 12 and 13 connected to the pallet 11, and a pair of side walls 14 and 15 detachably connected to the end walls 12 and 13.

The pallet 11 (FIGS. l-3) generally includes a horizontally disposed platform 16 connected to and supported on a pair of oppositely disposed skids 17 and 18. The platform 16 is rectangular-shape in plan view (FIG. 2) and includes a plurality of ribs 21 extending between the skids 17 and 18 for reinforcement purposes. The ribs 21 are preferably stamped into the platform 16 and extend downwardly therefrom to provide a relatively flat bottom surface 22 for the tote box 10.

The skids 17 and 18 (FIGS. 24) are elongated channel members extending the length of the platform 16 and are disposed below and adjacent to opposite sides 23 and 24 thereof; The skids 17 and 18 (FIGS. 3 and 5) include a depressed top portions 25 and 26, respectively, forming slots 27 and 28 between platform 16 and skids 17 and 18. The slots 27 and 28 are formed adjacent each end 29 and 30 of the pallet 1 1, for purposes hereinafter described.

The skids 17 and 18 (FIGS. 3-5) further include stacking grooves 31 and 32, respectively, defined by horizontal members 33 and 34 and vertical members 35 and 36 interconnecting bases 37 and 38 to lateral panels 41 and 42 of the skids 17 and 18, respectively. The grooves 31 and 32 are adapted to receive and engage side walls 14 and 15 of a second, though identical tote box 10, for stacking purposes as hereinafter described. Likewise, the tips of the skids l7 and 18 may be upwardly sloped identical tote box 10, for stacking purposes as hereinafter described. Likewise, the tips of the skids 17 and 18 may be upwardly sloped to facilitate self-centering of the box 10 between end walls 12 and 13 in stacked position.

Apertures 43 and 44 (FIGS. 1 and 4) are formed in lateral panel 42 and are axially aligned with similar apertures (not shown) formed in inner panels 45 and 46 of skids l7 and 18, respectively, and lateral panel 41. The apertures 43 and 44 are spaced apart and are adapted to receive fork members (not shown) extending from a conventional fork lift (not shown) to accommodate lifting of the tote box 10 from either side. Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, it should be realized that the tote box 10 may likewise be engaged from either end 29 or 30 by receiving the fork members between the skids 17 and 18.

The end walls 12 and 13 are identical and interchangeable and include inwardly extending bottom flanges 45 and 56 (FIG. 2) adapted for insertion into slots 27 and 28, as hereinafter described. The flanges 45 and 46 serve to connect the end walls 12 and 13, respectively, to the pallet 11 and support end walls 12 and 13 in a substantially upright position as the tote box 10 is assembled or dismantled.

The vertical edges 47, 47', 48 and 48 (FIGS. 2, 4 and 6) of the end walls 12 and 13 are rolled to connect side walls 14 and 15 thereto as hereinafter described. The end walls 12 and 13 further include a plurality of horizontally disposed ribs 49 (FIG. 1) for reinforcement purposes, and a top flange 50.

The side walls 12 and 13 (FIGS. 1-3) are likewise identical and interchangeable and for the purpose of brevity, only one side wall 15, will be fully described. Side wall 15 generally includes an inwardly extended bottom flange 51, an outwardly extended top flange 52 and a pair of rolled vertical edges 53 and 54. The wall 15 further includes a plurality of horizontally disposed ribs 55, for reinforcement purposes.

The rolled edges 53 and 54 are adapted to fit within rolled edges 47 and 48 of end walls 12 and 13, respectively, and are slidably movable vertically relative thereto. The edges 53, 54, 47 and 48 serve to lock the tote box 10 in assembled position, while providing a detachable connection for dismantling purposes.

In assembled position (FIG. 3) the bottom flange 51 engages the platform 16 and serves to support the wall 13. The top flange 52 (FIG. includes a horizontal ledge portion 56 and an inclined portion 57. The ledge portion 56 is adapted to engage horizontal member 42 of skid 18 and support an identical tote box thereon in stacking position. The inclined portion 57 serves to brace the ledge portion 56.

To facilitate an understanding of the invention, the assembling and stacking procedures will be described.

Assuming that the tote box 10 is collapsed, the pallet 11 is laid on a floor, or the like. Bottom flange 46 of end wall 12 is aligned with slots 27 and 28 and inserted therein. Confinement of the flange 46 within the slots 27 and 28 results in the end wall 12 being self-standing in a substantially upright position. The same procedure is then followed to connect end wall 13 to the pallet 11. Side wall is then lifted above the upstanding end walls 12 and 13 and rolled edges 53 and 54 are aligned such that rolled flanges 53 and 54 are disposed within edges 47 and 48, respectively. The side wall 15 is then lowered to engage bottom flange 51 with platform 16. The procedure is repeated with side wall 14 to enclose the tote box 10. To dismantle the tote box 10, the above procedure is merely reversed.

It can thus be seen that the collapsible tote box 10 of this invention is provided with only five parts designed to be interconnected together to form a rugged and durable tote box 10.

Should a part, i.e., a side wall 15, be damaged in loading or shipping the tote box 10, any sidewall from an identical box 10 can be used as a replacement without need for special fittings or adjustments.

In lifting or stacking of the tote box 10, the pallet 11 is conventionally engaged by a lift fork from either end or side. This feature finds importance when the tote box 10 is being loaded upon a semi-trailer, railroad car, or in a warehouse by providing the fork lift operator with an option to take optimum advantage of the space available relative to the dimensions of the tote box 10.

The grooves 31 and 32 formed in the skids 17 and 18 serve not only to properly align the tote boxes 10 in stacked relationship, they also serve to lock" one tote box 10 upon another without the possibility of tilting or sliding. This locking feature of the skids 17 and 18 within walls 12-15 facilitates faster and safer stacking, both in shipment and in storage.

Although a preferred embodiment of the collapsible tote box of this invention has been hereinbeforefully described, it is to be remembered that various modifications can be made thereto without departing from the invention as hereinafter defined.

lclaim:

l. A collapsible tote box comprising:

a pallet including a platform and a pair of skids extending the length of said platform, said skids disposed below said platform and adjacent to the sides thereof, said skids including a slot formed adjacent each end of said platform and between said platform and said skids;

a pair of end walls having an inwardly extending bottom flange adapted to be inserted into said slots to connect said end walls to said pallet, said end walls including rolled vertical edges; and

a pair of side walls having rolled vertical edges disposed within said rolled edges of said end walls to connect said side walls to said end walls, said side walls movable vertically relative to said end walls, said side walls including inwardly extending bottom flanges engaging the top of said platfonn to support and stabilize said side walls.

2. A collapsible tote box as defined in claim 1 wherein said skids include stacking grooves, said grooves defined by a vertical member connected to the base of one of said skids and a horizontal member interconnected to said vertical member and a lateral panel of said skid.

3. A collapsible tote box as defined in claim 2 wherein said skids include a pair of apertures formed therein, said apertures adapted to receive the fork of a fork lift.

4. A collapsible tote box as defined in claim 3 wherein said side walls include outwardly extending top flanges.

5. A collapsible tote box as defined in claim 4 wherein said platform includes a plurality of ribs formed therein, said ribs extended between said skids. 

1. A collapsible tote box comprising: a pallet including a platform and a pair of skids extending the length of said platform, said skids disposed below said platform and adjacent to the sides thereof, said skids including a slot formed adjacent each end of said platform and between said platform and said skids; a pair of end walls having an inwardly extending bottom flange adapted to be inserted into said slots to connect said end walls to said pallet, said end walls including rolled vertical edges; and a pair of side walls having rolled vertical edges disposed within said rolled edges of said end walls to connect said side walls to said end walls, said side walls movable vertically relative to said end walls, said side walls including inwardly extending bottom flanges engaging the top of said platform to support and stabilize said side walls.
 2. A collapsible tote box as defined in claim 1 wherein said skids include stacking grooves, said grooves defined by a vertical member connected to the base of one of said skids and a horizontal member interconnected to said vertical member and a lateral panel of said skid.
 3. A collapsible tote box as defined in claim 2 wherein said skids include a pair of apertures formed therein, said apertures adapted to receive the fork of a fork lift.
 4. A collapsible tote box as defined in claim 3 wherein said side walls include outwardly extending top flanges.
 5. A collapsible tote box as defined in claim 4 wherein said platform includes a plurality of ribs formed therein, said ribs extended between said skids. 